ArcelorMittal S.A.: ArcelorMittal Announces the First Industrial Production of Ethanol

(ArcelorMittal/Globe Newswire) ArcelorMittal announces the first industrial production of ethanol at its Steelanol plant, Europe’s first carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) project. This historic milestone was achieved on 7 November 2023, at ArcelorMittal Belgium’s Gent plant. The first industrial-scale production is a significant step in the journey to the full commissioning of the Steelanol plant. Throughout the project, ArcelorMittal has worked with its partners LanzaTech, Primetals Technologies and E4Tech.

The Steelanol plant captures carbon-rich industrial gases from steel production at ArcelorMittal Gent, and biologically converts them into ethanol using LanzaTech's carbon biorecycling process. LanzaTech’s technology works like a brewery, but instead of yeast consuming sugar, proprietary bacteria known as a biocatalyst consume carbon gas and convert it into essential chemical building blocks such as ethanol.

The plant was officially inaugurated in December 2022, followed by cold commissioning. Afterwards, the biocatalyst was introduced into the plant (a process known as inoculation) to start the growth of the microorganisms and verify the production of new molecules. In June 2023, the first samples containing ethanol were produced in the inoculator.

Image: The Steelanol team celebrate the first industrial production of ethanol in Gent

Over the past few weeks, gases from the blast furnace have been safely introduced into the bioreactors. This was followed on November 7th by the first industrial production of ethanol from one of the four bioreactors. A further ramp-up of production is expected in the coming months. The plant has the capacity to produce 80 million litres of advanced ethanol, almost half of the total current advanced ethanol demand for fuel mixing in Belgium. It has the potential to reduce annual carbon emissions from the Ghent plant by 125,000 tonnes.

The ethanol produced in Gent can be used as a building block for a variety of products, including sustainable transport fuels, packaging materials, clothing and even cosmetic perfumes, contributing to efforts to decarbonise the chemical sector worldwide.

In addition to working with LanzaTech, Primetals Technologies and E4Tech, ArcelorMittal has obtained funding from various sources, including the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme and the European Investment Bank, to carry out further research and development and scale up the project. The Flemish government also gave strategic environmental support via VLAIO, the Flemish Agency for Innovation and Enterprise.

LanzaTech Global, Inc. (Nasdaq: LNZA) is the carbon recycling company transforming waste carbon into sustainable raw materials for everyday products. Using its biorecycling technology, LanzaTech captures carbon-rich gases generated by energy-intensive industries at the source, preventing them from being emitted into the air. LanzaTech then gives that captured carbon a new life as a sustainable replacement for virgin fossil carbon in everything from household cleaners and clothing fibers to packaging and fuels. By partnering with companies across the global supply chain like ArcelorMittal, Zara, H&M Move and Coty, LanzaTech is paving the way for a circular carbon economy. For more information about LanzaTech, visit https://lanzatech.com.

Primetals Technologies, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, is a pioneer and world leader in the fields of engineering, plant building, and the provision of lifecycle services for the metals industry.

E4tech is an international strategic consultancy focused on sustainable energy. Since 1997 they have worked with companies, governments, and investors to help them understand the global opportunities and challenges of clean energy.

ArcelorMittal is the world's leading steel and mining company, with a presence in 60 countries and primary steelmaking facilities in 16 countries. In 2022, ArcelorMittal had revenues of $79.8 billion and crude steel production of 59.0 million metric tonnes, while iron ore production reached 45.3 million metric tonnes. Our purpose is to produce ever smarter steels that have a positive benefit for people and planet. Steels made using innovative processes which use less energy, emit significantly less carbon and reduce costs. Steels that are cleaner, stronger and reusable. Steels for electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure that will support societies as they transform through this century. With steel at our core, our inventive people and an entrepreneurial culture at heart, we will support the world in making that change. This is what we believe it takes to be the steel company of the future. ArcelorMittal is listed on the stock exchanges of New York (MT), Amsterdam (MT), Paris (MT), Luxembourg (MT) and on the Spanish stock exchanges of Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid and Valencia (MTS). READ MORE